A Bible-Based, Christ-Centered Family in Plymouth
Plymouth Alliance Church sits on Fairview Drive in Plymouth, Wisconsin, and the congregation describes itself with three phrases printed across the heart of the church: BIBLE-BASED, CHRIST-CENTERED, FAMILY. The church's heartbeat, the pastors say, is to see people know Jesus as "your Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King." A member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), PAC focuses on what the Bible teaches and wrestles with how to live those teachings out in everyday life.
The congregation gathers every Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 AM, with the second service livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Between services, a year-round program called PAC-U offers classes for every age. On Wednesday nights from September through May, the building becomes a one-stop family night with a Bible journey for kids, a youth group for teenagers, and small groups for adults. Around all of this runs a serious missions commitment. The church supports five ministry teams it has sent out around the world, and individuals at PAC gave more than 20% of the church's annual income to global outreach in the most recent year, a level that places the church in the top 5% of Alliance churches in the United States by percentage giving.
Sunday Mornings: Two Services and PAC-U
First-time visitors at Plymouth Alliance Church find a relaxed atmosphere where suits and jeans sit side by side. Coffee is welcome in the auditorium. Worship is contemporary, and a pastor brings a message meant to be carried through the week.
Two Sunday services meet at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM. The 11:00 AM gathering is broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube for those who cannot attend in person. Children are always welcome to remain in the service with their parents. For families who prefer a different option, the church offers Quiet Bags at the PAC Kids table in the lobby, a nursery for children from birth through 36 months during both services, and a Mommy and Me Room next to the nursery for nursing mothers and parents who need a quieter space. Speakers in the Mommy and Me Room let parents continue to hear the worship and sermon.
From 9:45 to 10:45 AM, PAC-U classes meet for every age. Adult classes rotate quarterly over eleven-week terms, and on the twelfth week of each quarter the church hosts a breakfast fellowship with food and testimonies between services. Two PAC-U classes are offered for children: Preschool through 2nd grade and 3rd through 6th grade. Parents check children in at the PAC Kids table in the lobby before dropping them off outside their classroom. Teens have their own class for 7th through 12th graders as well.
During the summer, the church gathers for a single Sunday service at 9:30 AM under the outdoor Pavilion, with PAC-U classes following at 10:45 AM.
Wednesday Family Nights
For nine months of the year, Wednesday night is the loudest, busiest, and most intergenerational evening on the PAC calendar. From 6:00 to 7:30 PM, the building fills with children, teenagers, and adults all studying the Bible in their own way. Family Night runs from September through May, with breaks around Thanksgiving, the Christmas holiday, and a week in the spring.
PreK through 6th grade kids attend Journey, a program that walks students through every book of the Bible over the school year. Each night includes group time, classroom time, scripture memory, games, and a snack. Students earn Journey Bucks for attendance, participation, scripture memory, bringing friends, and completing extra challenges, then spend them at the Journey Store Nights held roughly once a month.
Anchored Youth, the middle and high school ministry, gathers 7th through 12th graders in the same window. The night typically includes games, snacks, a time of student-led worship, a Bible lesson, and small group discussion. The ministry runs on the theme of Hebrews 6:19: "This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
Adults have their own Wednesday options. A co-ed Bible study led by Elder John Wyatt meets from 6:30 to 7:15 PM in Pastor Pete's office on the main level. A men's only group meets in the Small Conference Room on the lower level with church member Nate Birr.
PAC Kids: From the Nursery Through 6th Grade
Children's Ministry at PAC exists to see children fall in love with Jesus, be rooted and built in Him, and seek to tell the world of His love. The PAC Kids theme verse, Colossians 2:6-7, anchors that mission: "continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
On Sundays, the nursery welcomes newborns through 36-month-olds during both worship services. PAC-U adds two more classrooms between services: Preschool through 2nd grade and 3rd through 6th grade. On Wednesday nights, the Journey program covers PreK through 6th grade. Every PAC Kids volunteer, whether serving once a month or every week, goes through a background check before working with children. Parents receive matching printed name tags at check-in, and only the parent whose tag matches can pick up a child.
Children's Ministry Director Mabree Johnson leads the program. She came to PAC from a Crown College background in elementary education and a year as an admissions counselor, and her Proverbs 22:6 conviction - "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it" - guides how she plans the year.
Once a month, the church practices Open Communion. Children whose parents feel they understand what communion means are welcome to participate, regardless of their church membership status or age. PAC has gathered a set of family resources, including book recommendations like Tedd Tripp's "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and Paul David Tripp's "Parenting," to help parents walk younger believers through the practice.
Anchored Youth: 7th Through 12th Grade
Anchored Youth is a place to belong for middle and high schoolers. Students from public, private, and home schools gather every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:30 PM for games, snacks, worship led by a student band, a Bible lesson, and small group discussion. The ministry is run, in part, by the students themselves. A Student Leadership Team of 9th through 12th graders helps plan and run the program, with the broader goal of integrating students into the life of the whole church so that they know how to do church long after they leave youth group.
Special events punctuate the year. The fall brings the Middle School "Recharge" Retreat at Silver Birch Ranch in White Lake, Wisconsin, with teaching, worship, a climbing wall and high ropes course, horseback riding, mini golf, archery, paintball, and more. The winter hosts the High School "Oasis" Retreat. Summer includes a yearly missions trip and weekend outings, including the Housefires evenings - backyard gatherings at the homes of church families for food, a campfire, and yard games. Housefires runs every other Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM during the summer at rotating locations.
On specified Youth Sundays throughout the year, students sign up to fill roles that are normally the domain of adult volunteers: greeters, coffee servers, projection, sound, and the worship team. The youth ministry's goal in raising up these students is simple: that they learn to build up the body of Christ through church participation.
Young Adults
Young Adults at PAC covers everyone from age 18 or high school graduation through their 30s, whether single, dating, engaged, married, with kids, or without. The ministry's heart is "to connect Young Adults by creating an intentional community where we can grow in our faith as we navigate life together," grounded in Acts 2:42.
On the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, the group meets for Bible study from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Panera Bread in Sheboygan. On the 1st Sunday of each month, the young adults gather at 12:30 PM at the church parsonage on Meadow Lane in Plymouth to discuss the morning's sermon, share a meal together, and fellowship. Lunch is provided, and kids and babies are welcome.
Adult Discipleship: Small Groups, PAC-U, and the MOMCo
Adults at PAC have no shortage of places to grow. Discipleship Pastor Tim Neargarth oversees most of what happens. Tim grew up on the border of northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, met his wife Darla at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and completed a Master of Arts in Christian Studies through Crown College before stepping into his current role. His desire is to see others "develop their relationship with Christ and come to know the depth to which each follower of Christ is loved."
On Saturday mornings at 7:00 AM, a men's Bible study meets in the conference room on the lower level. The group studies Scripture, prays, and holds one another accountable. Most Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, a women's prayer gathering meets in the Small Conference Room for intentional prayer for the church, the community, and the nation. On the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, a women's Bible study meets from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Living Room, working through a book of the Bible together. Thursday evenings during certain seasons bring women's book studies, including a recent walk through "Every Woman a Theologian."
The MOMCo meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, September through May, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the church. The MOMCo is a mothers' community where women of all stages connect, study, and support one another. Childcare is available during the meeting through the KIDSCo program.
For Bible study on demand, the church provides free access to RightNow Media, a streaming library of more than 20,000 video Bible study resources. The platform has a kids' library, family resources on marriage, parenting, finances, and mental health, and an app for all major streaming devices. myPAC, the church's online community hosted on Breeze, serves as the church's communication hub for regular attenders.
Communion, Baptism, and Child Dedication
Open Communion is observed once a month at PAC. Anyone who has put their faith in Jesus is welcome to participate, regardless of church membership, and parents may bring their children when they feel the child is ready. A Communion Worksheet, a printable bookmark, and a series of family-friendly videos on the practice are made available to help families talk through the meaning of the Lord's Supper at home.
Believers' baptism is taught as a public declaration of inward transformation, not a means of salvation. The church follows Jesus' example in Matthew 3:13-16 and his command in Matthew 28:19-20. Baptisms are scheduled on Sundays set aside for that purpose, and a believer does not need to wait for a special day; a pastor will meet with anyone interested in being baptized at any time. After the service, the church hosts a fellowship meal in the Fellowship Hall with seating on the patio and in the Pavilion, with yard games and basketball to follow.
Child Dedication is different from infant baptism. In a dedication service, parents publicly commit their child to God and pledge, with the support of the congregation, to raise that child to know and love Jesus. Dedications can take place at any age and at any time, and the church points parents to a short booklet, "What About the Baby" by Rev. John Kitchen, that explains the biblical background.
Membership is a two-step process. Step 1 is an introductory class, and Step 2 follows. Members commit to the beliefs, mission, and fellowship of PAC, and the church commits to them in return.
The Heartbeat: Mission at Home and Around the World
Plymouth Alliance Church is part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a movement begun in the 1880s that now includes more than 2,000 churches in the United States and around 500,000 believers in more than 38 languages and dialects around the world. The Alliance has launched more than 8,000 missionaries into over 80 nations, and currently has about 700 international workers serving in 70 countries.
Mission is part of PAC's identity, not an add-on. The church currently supports five ministry teams sent out from the congregation, in Montana, Eastern Europe, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Japan. One of those teams, in Japan, serves with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) rather than with the C&MA. PAC also partners with Envision, Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA), and the broader Alliance missions network.
Each year, PAC hosts a Missions Conference, a week of focused prayer, fellowship, teaching, and updates from the field. The conference typically includes a men's Bible study, women's breakfast, Sunday services, a lunch out, a chili competition fundraiser that supports church planting overseas, an evening of Q&A and prayer, and the Wednesday Family Night gathering.
Anyone sensing a call to full-time missions can meet with a pastor to explore the C&MA's "SERVE" resources and short-term missions trips.
Community Connections
PAC's reach extends well beyond its walls. Five ongoing programs connect the church to the broader Plymouth area.
Mustard Seed Gardens. Each spring, PAC opens plots of its land to anyone in the community who wants to garden. Plots are made available for free, and gardeners share in the work and the harvest. The program gives the church a tangible way to serve its neighbors.
Parkview School Partnership. Since 2017, PAC has partnered with Parkview Elementary School in Plymouth, sending volunteers to help in classrooms, eat lunch with students as "lunch buddies," provide staff breakfasts and lunches at the start and end of the school year, and supply Thanksgiving food boxes and Christmas gifts for families in need. Lunchroom volunteers serve Monday through Friday from 11:10 AM to 1:00 PM throughout the school year, and classroom helpers serve at varying times.
Operation Christmas Child. PAC participates in Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. Each year, the church distributes empty shoeboxes in the fall and collects filled boxes in November. Families pack their own boxes, marking them for a boy or girl in the 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14 age range, and include a "wow" item like a soccer ball or stuffed animal, school supplies, personal care items, and a personal note. A donation of $10 per box covers shipping and evangelism materials.
Pavilion and Sport Court. PAC's outdoor facilities are open to the community. The Pavilion hosts outdoor services in summer and is available to reserve for private events. The Sport Court accommodates basketball, pickleball, and an ice hockey rink in winter. A free 3-on-3 recreational basketball tournament draws adults from across the area to the court each summer, and the church hosts basketball clinics for kids as well.
The Well: Church Plant in Elkhart Lake. PAC supports a church plant just seven miles north in Elkhart Lake. What began as Bible study groups has grown into The Well, a separate congregation meeting in homes and venues around Elkhart Lake. Plymouth Alliance provides pastoral, financial, and prayer support.
Two recovery groups also meet at the church: Alcoholics Anonymous on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 AM, and Al-Anon on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM. Both meet at the southwest downstairs door of the building.
Beliefs
PAC's beliefs rest on the Bible as the inerrant, verbally inspired Word of God. From that foundation the church teaches the historic Christian doctrines in plain language.
There is one God, infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, crucified as a substitute for sinners, raised from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and coming again in personal, visible, premillennial return.
The Holy Spirit is a divine person sent to dwell in, guide, teach, and empower believers, and to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; those who repent and believe are born again, become children of God, and receive eternal life. Sanctification is both a crisis and a progressive work - the will of God that each believer be filled with the Holy Spirit and set apart for Him.
The church also teaches the Alliance's historic distinctive, the Four-Fold Gospel: Jesus as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. The provision for physical healing is part of the redemption Christ accomplished, and the church practices prayer for the sick and anointing with oil as taught in Scripture.
The Church is the body of believers in Christ, commissioned to go into all the world as a witness. The local church gathers for worship, edification through the Word, prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. There will be a bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust, with the just receiving eternal life and the unjust, conscious judgment.
The Pastoral Team and Governance
Lead Pastor Pete Lillestolen and his wife Lyn have been in ministry together since graduating from Crown College in 1995. Pete spent twelve years in youth ministry before stepping into senior pastorate roles in 2006. He preaches most Sundays. The Lillestolens have three daughters, all Crown graduates.
Discipleship Pastor Tim Neargarth oversees adult education, small groups, and discipleship. He transitioned into the role after completing a Master of Arts in Christian Studies through Crown College.
Mabree Johnson serves as Children's Ministry Director, leading PAC Kids, the nursery, and the Journey program. She joined the staff in Plymouth after time as an elementary and preschool teacher in Minnesota and a year as an admissions counselor at Crown.
Lyn Lillestolen serves as Interim Worship Director, leading the music ministry. She has served in the church as office administrator, children's director, and worship leader over twenty-eight years of ministry alongside her husband.
Gretchen Andrews handles the church's communications, weekly eNewsletter, bulletin, and Sunday morning slides. Angie Toerpe serves as the Administrative Assistant and is usually the voice that answers the church phone. Glenn Lyon, the custodian for more than twenty-five years, is well known for greeting Sunday morning visitors with a smile and a firm handshake.
The church is governed by a board of elders chaired by Pastor Pete. Paul Theisen serves as Secretary, John Wyatt as Treasurer, John Sherman as Assistant Treasurer, with Steven Crumley and Mark Pool rounding out the board.
Visiting Plymouth Alliance Church
Plymouth Alliance Church is located at 1203 Fairview Drive, Plymouth, Wisconsin 53073. Parking is available along the south side of the building and around the back (east), with overflow parking in a gravel lot to the northwest. Visitors can enter through the double doors on the south side or the sliding doors under the overhangs on the east side.
First-time guests are invited to meet the pastors on the 1st Sunday of every month following each service, in the Mommy and Me Room. No registration is needed. A "Let's Connect" card can be filled out online or in the lobby so the church can follow up with a note or a call.
The church office can be reached at (920) 893-5525. Office hours run Tuesday through Thursday from 9 AM to 4 PM, with Friday hours by appointment during the school year. Summer hours shift to Tuesday through Thursday only, with the office closed Mondays and Fridays. Calls placed to the office line offer an extension menu: dial 4 for the office, 5 for Pastor Tim, and 7 for Pastor Pete.
Giving can be done online through Breeze, by texting an amount to 920-691-8686, or by signing up for automatic withdrawals through forms available from the office. To give to the Great Commission Fund, type the amount followed by the word "missions." For prayer, the church invites anyone to submit a request, and the pastoral team lifts these requests up regularly.
From its earliest days to its present slate of ministries, Plymouth Alliance Church has aimed at one thing: to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ. The church welcomes new faces and old ones to join in that work.